In the picturesque valley of Jammu and Kashmir, a quiet war is being waged—not with guns and tanks, but with legislation, coercion, and cultural imposition. Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, the Indian government has embarked on an aggressive project of political, religious, and cultural assimilation of the region. The goal is simple but insidious: to erase the distinct Muslim identity of Kashmir and replace it with the Hindutva-centric idea of India.

Recent efforts by New Delhi to “mainstream” Kashmir through superficial initiatives like opening cinema halls have fallen flat. Kashmiris have responded with clarity and resolve: what they demand is not entertainment or distraction, but the fundamental right to self-determination as promised by the United Nations Security Council resolutions. These cosmetic moves are not only tone-deaf to the aspirations of the people but appear deliberately designed to mask a deeper and more alarming agenda—the erosion of Kashmir’s religious and cultural identity.

A glaring example of this cultural assault came in the form of a controversial incident in Kulgam, where Muslim students were compelled to sing a bhajan—a Hindu devotional hymn. The video went viral, sparking widespread outrage across the Valley and beyond. Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti rightly called international attention to this imposition, arguing that such acts are not merely insensitive but also a violation of religious freedom. The Muttahida Majlis-i-Ulema, a coalition of 30 Kashmiri religious organizations, condemned the act as part of a broader scheme to force the region’s youth into ideological alignment with Hindutva.

This imposition is not accidental. It is a methodical process. The BJP’s control over the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, including historic religious sites like Srinagar’s Eidgah, is another clear attempt to appropriate and dilute Muslim religious symbols. As Shabbir Shah of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference stated from jail, this move reflects a direct infringement upon the religious rights of Kashmir’s Muslim majority. The cultural onslaught is accompanied by political repression. The recent arrests of prominent Islamic scholars under the draconian Public Safety Act are indicative of India’s fear of religious leadership that might unify and mobilize the Muslim population. These actions have drawn strong condemnation from Pakistan’s Foreign Office, which has rightly described them as yet another attempt to “rob the Kashmiri people of their distinct religious and cultural identity.”

Language, too, has not been spared. For over a century, Urdu was the official language of Jammu and Kashmir, deeply embedded in its literature, history, and education. In 2020, this heritage was diluted through a legislation that elevated Hindi, Dogri, and Kashmiri (in Devanagari script) to official status. Not only has this move marginalized Urdu, but it has also initiated a silent script war. There are unconfirmed yet credible reports that the traditional Nastaliq script is being informally replaced with Devanagari, a move perceived by many Kashmiris as an erasure of their cultural roots.

What is unfolding in Kashmir is a classic case of cultural imperialism. The BJP’s larger project seems aimed not just at political integration, but at cultural homogenization—making Kashmir indistinguishable from the rest of India in religion, language, and identity. But what New Delhi fails to understand is that identity is not a negotiable commodity. It cannot be erased through force or seduced with economic incentives.

Amnesty International’s September 2022 report titled “We Are Being Punished by the Law” paints a chilling picture of the post-2019 reality in Jammu and Kashmir. The report documents extensive human rights violations, including the denial of freedom of speech, movement, and justice. These actions, it notes, are carried out with “absolute impunity,” reinforcing the perception that the Indian state is not seeking reconciliation, but subjugation. Despite the relentless pressure, the people of Kashmir have shown remarkable resilience. Their rejection of cinema openings and forced cultural integration reveals a population unwilling to barter away its identity. Instead, each new act of repression only deepens the alienation and fuels the determination to resist.

The global community must not ignore this systematic and silent war on Kashmir’s identity. The cultural persecution unfolding in the Valley is as serious as the political conflict that has long defined it. It is a slow erasure of a people’s language, religion, and memory—an assault that strikes at the very soul of a society. India must be held accountable not just for its political actions in the region but also for its deliberate and calculated attempts to erase a culture that predates the modern Indian state. Kashmiris deserve the dignity of choice, the freedom of expression, and the right to preserve their heritage without coercion.